When considering
working overseas, you should know more about where you are going.
The U.S. State Department's Bureau
of Consular Affairs has an excellent collection of varied
information about all of the following countries:

Germany
Germany is one of the major cultural, economic and industrial
centers of Europe. A country of 90 million people, it has a temperate
climate and a variety of natural features.

Though a very modern society, Germany has an ancient history
and rich culture. It is renowned for its cathedrals, castles
and museums, and a long tradition of producing masterful composers,
writers, artists, philosophers, and scientists.

Because Germany is centrally located in Europe, it provides
an ideal base of operation for Americans living overseas seeking
a broad cultural experience. With neighboring countries like
France, Switzerland, Austria and Poland, and major cities like
Berlin, Bonn and Frankfurt, Germany is a great place for Americans
living and working overseas.

Services are divided in three geopgraphical regions. Landstuhl,
located in Western Germany, has the largest staff and is approximately
90 minutes from the Frankfurt airport. Heidelberg, a renouned
university city, coordinates all EIS services in the central
part of the country. The Wuertzburg region, located in the northern
tip of Bavaria, oversees the activity in the Eastern part of
the country. Service locations within Germany include Heidelberg,
Darmstadt, Giessen, Mannheim, Stuttgart, Hanau, Landstuhl, Baumholder,
Wiesbaden, Wuerzburg, Vilseck, Ansbach, Bamberg, and Schweinfurt.

Each region has unique community, cultural and seasonal events
which are enjoyed by Americans working abroad. Ten Federal Holidays
plus four weeks paid time off allows ample opportunities for
travel and activities. Living abroad is an intermission from
the American lifestyle. Outdoor sporting, festivals and family-centered
activities are abundant.

Spain
Services under the EIS program are provided in support of the
U.S. Naval Station Rota, which is located on the coast, in Southern
Spain, between Portugal and the Strait of Gibraltar.

The climate is sunny and warm, with temperatures between 75
and 90 degrees in the summer and 40 to 70 degrees in the winter.
There is much to see and do in Spain including windsurfing,
sailing, skin-diving, skiing, mountain climbing, and bullfights.
The cities of Seville, Cordoba and Granada are within a few
hours drive.

Italy
Italy is one of the great cultural centers of the world, located
in the Mediterranean with a population of 60 million. A rich historical
and cultural country, Italy offers features found no where else
like the canals of Venice, the Vatican, renaissance art, skiing
in the Alps, Roman ruins, medieval towns, and of course excellent
food and wine.

Service locations within Italy include Aviano, Vicenza, Naples,
and Sigonella. Sigonella is located on the island of Sicily,
where you can find catacombs, Roman amphitheaters, Greek temples,
Norman castles, and Arab baths mixed among modern cities. Vicenza
is in a region of natural beauty found in the Dolomites, on
the shores of Lake Garda, in the landscape of the Euganei hills
and in the modern seaside resorts, in an area of Northern Italy
known for its cities of great artistic and cultural interest.
Aviano sits at the foothills of the Italian alps and is close
to both Venice and Milan.

South Korea
South Korea has used years of peace since the end of the Korean
War in 1954 to turn itself into one of the most modern and progressive
societies in Asia. It is a rugged country ranging from mountainous
to coastal, with changing season similar to the Midwest.

Services are provided in support of the U.S. Army garrison
in the capital of Seoul, which has grown into a teeming metropolis
with a population of more than 10 million representing over
22 percent of the entire county's population. While maintaining
and restructuring the city which has greatly expanded in the
process of urbanization and industrialization over the past
30 years, the city of Seoul continues to grow into a more prosperous
and thriving city with clean environment.

Seoul offers a wide range of educational, cultural, recreational,
and athletic opportunities. Seoul hosts many culinary, cultural,
film, and arts festivals, both local and global in scope.

Guam
Guam is a tropical island in the Pacific that is a U.S. territory.
Year-round temperature averages 81 degrees, and natural features
include volcanic peaks, green hills, reefs, beautiful waterfalls
over steep cliffs and sandy beaches along narrow coasts. Popular
activities include scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, windsurfing,
canoeing, kayaking, golfing, swimming, and hiking.

Guam is the largest and southermost island of the Marianas
chain, is the westernmost possession of the United States since
1898. The island is known as "America's Gateway to Asia" because
of its unique geographic and economic position.

Guam's indiginous culture, the Chamoru, is visually manifested
in dances, sea navigation, unique cuisines, games, songs and
fashion influenced by the transmigration of peoples from other
lands. The culture endured coloization by Spain from 1521 through
the survival of the compassionate and meaningful Chamoru language
and traditions.

Azores
The nine Azores islands are situated in the middle of the Atlantic
Ocean between Europe and North America. Services under the EIS
program are located at Terceira, the third largest island. Terceira
is home to the U.S. Air Forceís 65th Airbase Wing and U.S Air
Force Azores. With its strategic location, this base played an
important role in World War II and continues to offer support
to military operations today.

The volcanic origin of the islands offers craters and cones
to hike to explore. Steeped in Portuguese tradition, the islands
offer cathedrals, museums, and bullfighting arenas. During the
summer months, each island offers unique festivals with traditions
that date back hundreds of years. This archipelago offers lush
flowers and languid lagoons with a moderate climate. Azores
doesnít just present a change in scenery; itís a change in lifestyle.

Japan
Japan lies on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean and east of
the Eurasian continent. It consists of several thousand islands
and islets. Most of Japan is in the Temperate Zone and has a humid
monsoon climate, with southeasterly winds blowing from the Pacific
Ocean during the summer and northwesterly winds from the Eurasian
continent in the winter.

Japan also has one
of the worlds highest population densities; there are
340 residents for every square kilometer of land. The figure
for the United States is 29 and that for Britain is 242. Three-quarters
of Japan is mountainous, and two-thirds is forested.

Service locations
in Japan include Iwakuni, Yokota AFB, US Fleet Activities, Sasebo,
Yokosuka and Okinawa.

United Kingdom
A group of islands close to continental Europe, United Kingdom
is one of the largest economies in the European Union and a major
international trading power. The mild, temperate climate creates
vibrant green pastoral fields all year round, ideal for hiking
and drives through winding roads. The United Kingdom has a rich
history that can be explored in the ancient castles throughout
the countryside. In addition, the United Kingdom has magnificent
cathedrals, palaces, and museums.

Service locations in the United Kingdom include Royal Air
Force Bases Lakenheath, located near the coast of the North
Sea. Lakenheath is home to the largest medical facility in the
U.S. Air Force Europe. Services are also provided at RAF Upwood
UK, which services several smaller locaions in the region.

Turkey
Turkey straddles the point where Europe and Asia meet. Because
of its geographical location, the mainland has always found favor
throughout history, and is the birthplace of many great civilizations.
It has also been prominent as the center of commerce because of
its connections to three continents and the sea which surrounds
it on three sides. A paradise of sun, sea, rivers, mountains,
and lakes, Turkey is a country rich with its own national culture,
open to the heritage of world civilization.

Services in Turkey are provided in Incirlik, near the coast
of the Mediterranean Sea. Incirlik Air Base is an important
base in NATOís Southern Region. The base is located about eight
miles east of Adana, the fourth largest city in Turkey, in the
heart of a rich agricultural region.